St. Luke's Study Finds No Mismanagement In Lab

A steering committee of the St. Luke's Hospital board of trustees has found no basis for allegations of mismanagement in the hospital's pathology laboratory, according to board President Alan Dillman.

"There are one or two minor items still waiting to come in," Dillman said, adding that the steering committee was not concerned with the issues and presented its findings to the full board at a meeting Monday.

An investigation into the charges, which were never fully defined, began three weeks ago, when the board of governors of Horizon Health System, the hospital's parent company, asked the hospital board to check out the lab. Horizon spokesman Dan R. Kraft said the meeting was held "for the Horizon board to present some allegations of some things that were taking place, particularly in the hospital's pathology lab."

Neither Kraft nor any other Horizon or St. Luke's official would elaborate on the nature of the charges.

The steering committee - Dillman, Priscilla Hurd, Joseph A. Rossetti, Leonard Bloch and Dr. David A. Eaton - "enlisted the aid of auditors and legal counsel, conducted 28 interviews and reviewed a variety of documents," Dillman said, adding that each committee member spent more than 70 hours to prepare the findings.

Based on the steering committee's report, Dillman said trustees were "full of praise for the management and medical staffs at St. Luke's."

At Monday's meeting, they decided to re-negotiate their contract with Dr. Santo Longo, St. Luke's chief of pathology and laboratory services, who will remain in the position.

Longo, too, was pleased with the outcome of the investigation.

"The outcome delights me," he said, adding that there was "no basis for any of the charges," many he was "still unaware of.

"I knew and all my associates knew that there was no basis to it," Longo said. Still, he said, he felt the charges "mandated" an investigation to clear the air.

Longo said he is hopeful that things will get back to normal. "The lab was operating normally through it all except for the hardship and emotional aspect of it," he said.

Dillman, however, said the pressure of the investigation worked in favor of the hospital and its employees. "We think it's a stronger organization because of the investigation," he said, adding that the investigation "pulled people together."

The investigation, its results, and the results of a Sept. 14 state Health Department inspection of the lab, which found "no deficiencies," had people "standing a little taller and working closer together."

As far as Horizon is concerned, Kraft said yesterday that, although the board of governors originally had "some concerns, both boards have reached an understanding."

"The business of operating a hospital is challenging and complex," said St. Luke's President Richard A. Anderson. "It is a source of personal and professional satisfaction to hear that our staff is successfully meeting that challenging task. We are pleased that the inquiry has concluded favorably, and we're anxious to get back to normal."